Heir Rose

Really a tossup between the Thunder and Lakers for me. Kobe and Nash being legends holds no water for me because both are past their primes and what they've done in the past doesn't mean anything in terms of what I expect them to do this upcoming season. Nash will be a big help to the Lakers this upcoming season and chemistry-wise he's a great fit, but I see him taking another step back. He's no longer a great scorer, still one of the best passers though. Since his role will be smaller having to share the ball with Kobe, Pau, and Bynum, and the fact that he's going to get rocked on defense against guys like Russ (although having Howard and Gasol behind him helps), I don't hold him in as high esteem as I would in years past. Kobe has to start declining at some point, and with Howard in the lineup and Nash controlling the ball more, I see him taking a big of a step back. Individually, I'd even consider putting Russ ahead of him at this point. Westbrook's the best scoring point in the NBA, his quickness makes him virtually unstoppable. I expect Harden to take another step forward this upcoming season, and with both of these guys capable of scoring 18+ a game along with good defense and no glaring weaknesses, I have them slightly ahead of the Lakers' backcourt at this point.

I think it can happen, especially if Rubio develops into the player he's expected to be, but he is going to have to have a killer supporting cast. Teams without a true superstar rarely contend for titles, and when they do, they've got a very strong and balanced lineup across the board, a la Sacramento of the early 2000s with Webber or Detroit when they had their run in 2004. Minnesota is going to need some serious players at the 2, 3, and 5 spots, and there is very little margin for error when you don't have a guy like LeBron, Durant, or Kobe that can score on isolations and command extra attention. It's possible, but they'll have to do better than Roy, Kirilenko, and Pekovic around their young duo.

Great move in terms of acquiring a star and giving your team a higher ceiling. The addition of Bynum definitely comes with some risks, especially considering he can bolt at the end of the year. However, if you want to be serious title contenders, this is the type of deal you have to make. With Iguodala, there was no chance they would compete for a championship in the future. The roster doesn't make a lot of sense right now -- if Hawes is your starting four, then the offense is going to have to slow down, which doesn't really fit Philly's personnel. They could start off the game slow running through the post with Bynum, and then go with Thad Young at the 4 to push the pace and use Hawes at the 5 when going small at times. They could stand to move him sometime down the line or one of their other pieces, or even Bynum at the deadline if things don't work out as planned. They've still got a ways to go to be Finals contenders in the future, but Bynum gives the Sixers a valuable asset and a stronger inside/outside balance. Well worth any assumed risk, in my opinion.

The bottom line is Orlando will be in contention for a top 5 pick for the next couple years. As long as they didn't do anything to jeopardize that, I'm fine. Of course, this leaves a lot up to chance in the lottery, but without Dwight Howard, the only way to build is through the draft, and thank God they dealt him before the season so that they can start the rebuilding process with a high draft pick after the first season without him. Success in rebuilding is all about obtaining assets. While you may miss out on a piece like Andrew Bynum, a high draft pick that could become Shabazz Muhammad, Nerlens Noel, or Cody Zeller could prove to be just as valuable in the long run. The Magic will go through a difficult rebuilding year to watch, but they will be "rewarded" if they go through the growing pains. I'd prefer to get a proven player through the Howard trade, as the OKC model depends to an extent on luck, but things could be worse. Example: the package offered to New Orleans last year that Stern vetoed. It could be worse.

With Rubio expected to take another step in his second year as starting point guard, as well as one of the best scoring and rebounding forwards in the game in Kevin Love, the Wolves have a talented duo to build around. With additions such as Andrei Kirilenko, Aleksey Shved, Greg Stiemsma, Brandon Roy, and Chase Budinger, as well as Pek's impressive performance this past season, the supporting cast appears to be very competent. Derrick Williams is a big question mark at forward, as many have targeted him as a potential bust early in his career, but I think he will pair well with Rubio in transition, whether it's off the bench or at small forward. Depth and overall talent has definitely improved from a few years ago in Minnesota. With that being said, I still think they are a long way away from title contenders, even if you give the group a couple years together to gel. They are very limited defensively, and although Love and Rubio is a solid tandem, these days it takes more to contend for a title. I think they are another star away from title contention, as the Wolves are still weak on the wings and lack a shot blocking presence in the post. I see them slipping into the playoffs and being a first round exit this upcoming year, and beyond that it will take a major move before they hit their eventual ceiling, which I think will be set at around 3rd in West (definitely behind Lakers and Thunder). Where do you see Minnesota's eventual ceiling considering the lineup they currently have, and what needs to change in the future for them to contend for a title?

Nice change of pace from the offensive-minded Pekovic and should add some toughness for about 15 minutes a game. Unfortunately, not a big enough move to solve the T-Wolves' defensive and shot blocking woes.

With Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic as your starters in the frontcourt and no elite defenders on the perimeter, Kirilenko's skillset is sorely needed. Minny has no shot blocking presence inside and desperately needed a glue guy on the wings. While Kirilenko will contribute little over a block a game, he adds some length a defensive presence that none of our post players (with the exception of a little-used Greg Stiemmsma) will offer. A band-aid on a bullet wound? Maybe, but his experience is a plus and he'll help cover up some problem areas for the Wolves.

Chemistry was a big strength of the Bulls' second unit, but that has been shattered with the losses of serviceable reserves Watson, Lucas, Korver, Asik, and anyone I might be forgetting. It's that second unit that kept the team afloat, and now that that has been wiped out and replaced with a handful of new guys, this is a completely different Bulls team around their still-intact frontcourt. New talent has been added, sure, but these guys have no experience together and are a downgrade in terms of overall talent. Besides, if you take that Bulls group that survived without Rose last year and asked them to match that success throughout the course of an entire 82-game season, they would have had some sort of collapse eventually. The Bulls will not sink completely. Barring a major injury to Deng, Boozer, or Noah, the Bulls have enough talent in the frontcourt and a strong coaching staff that will help them weather the storm. While the East is weak, I don't see them realistically finishing with a top 4 or 5 seed; rather, I expect them to be contending for that 8th spot with a few other teams. As the rosters stand right now, these are the teams that I consider clearly above the Bulls (in no particular order): Boston Indiana Miami Philadelphia New Jersey New York Now, the teams clearly below the Bulls: Detroit Orlando Charlotte That leaves the following teams: Toronto Milwaukee Atlanta Washington Cleveland Atlanta is taking a step back after losing Joe Johnson, so I see them in a similar situation as the Bulls. Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague should be able to keep the Hawks in playoffs contention. Milwaukee will be on the upswing with Jennings and Ellis together for a full season, and they seem to have enough outside those two to vie for a low playoff seed. Toronto is interesting, as the additions of Lowry, Ross, and Valanciunas could be what it takes to get back to the playoffs. Washington and Cleveland are a couple of teams with talented young backcourts, and while their best success should lay a few years down the road, I expect both to compete heavily for a playoff spot. The Bulls should be somewhere in that pack, but with injuries and trades, things could definitely change. Their experience should play to their advantage, and I expect them to barely sneak in with somewhere around 40 wins. Hinrich will play a huge role and it will be exciting to see him running the point in Chicago again, although at this point in his career he is much better suited for a backup job or playing next to Rose when he comes back. If they could have brought back Gordon for the year, my nostalgia would be completely satisfied.

All the makings of a championship team. Spot up shooting woes should be fixed with the additions of Nash and Meeks plus Jamison spreading the floor off the bench. Higher quality looks with Nash facilitating this offense for everyone, and Metta World Peace will have the easiest job in the world on offense this season. Lakers looking deadly.

Serge Ibaka was the best shot blocker in the league this past season, and it wasn't even close. Harden is one of the league's best shooting guards already, but when you have two perimeter players capable of scoring 25+ a night, it's best to focus on building up that front court. Ibaka probably won't ever develop into a big time scoring threat, but he brings something special to the team that Harden can't: a defensive anchor. Defensive anchors are much more rare than a solid scorer off the bench. Will OKC be able to bring in a player as good as James Harden? No. But, can they land a serviceable player for the MLE that can shoot and score well for a 6th man? Most likely, yes. Keep Ibaka and you will keep your defense strong. Lose him, and your two superstars are going to have to spend a lot more energy on defense without a 3.6 BPG guy protecting the paint.

Absolutely love Terrence Jones's intensity, they need that on their young but ultra-talented team. He's only a sophomore, but as one of the most experienced guys on this team he's got a big leadership role, and so far he's leading by example. Davis is making some athletic plays and running the floor well but I want to see his offensive game in terms of creating a shot on the block or facing up. Kentucky's going to be a force at the end of the season and if they can find some chemistry and settle in to their roles, they could be the toughest team to stop come March. I'm really interested to see how Kidd-Gilchrist does this year. Before last season nbadraft.net had him as their top ranked prospect but he's been on a decline since then. Will he become an elite prospect and help turn around a franchise, or become more of a 2nd/3rd-best player on a team and be a fringe All-Star candidate?

B-. The 2nd pick could have gone either way between Williams and Kanter, and although it would've been nice to address the center position with Kanter, I think we're getting a player that will have a greater impact on the court in Williams. Good job by Kahn managing to not screw that pick up. All those trades, however, were annoying as hell, and I still have no idea what all we got from it besides Malcom Lee from UCLA and Targuy Ngombo from Qatar. I've never heard of Ngombo and don't expect him to suit up in a T-Wolves uniform anytime soon, but Lee is a decent option as a 3rd string point guard/shooting guard, but probably will never be more than a deep reserve. What really ticks me off is that Minnesota had their hands on both Donatas Motiejunas and Nikola Mirotic. Both have high ceilings and would have been a great project to work on. Instead, we continually trade back to pick up next to nothing and some cash on a team that already has all the cap space in the world?! I realize the success rate for prospects like Motie is low, but we're going to be kicking ourselves if Houston gets him to pan out and they've suddenly got a great strech four in a few years. Not gonna give them any lower than a B- though since Kahn managed to make a sane pick at #2 and resist the urge to pick Kemba or Knight.

Imagine if they hadn't traded for Mo Williams... They could have conceivably been looking at a quartet something along the lines of Kyrie Irving, Eric Gordon, Harrison Barnes, and Blake Griffin... Still have a great chance to form a trio unless Minnesota finally climbs their way out of the gutter. Even then, a late lotto pick in next year's draft could land you a would-be top 5-7 talent this year.

Assuming the Cavs take Irving, you go with Derrick Williams. Kanter has the potential to be a very solid starting center, but Derrick Williams has more star potential and is considered to be very prepared for the NBA. I look at this as a two-player draft, and if you have a chance to get one of them, you can't pass up the opportunity to nab one. Worry about clearing up the logjam at forward later.